10.29.2014

I think that the weather is finally cooperating with my fall sweater knitting plans because there was a decided nip in the air this morning. Finally an opportunity to throw on some of my wool sweaters! Here are a couple in the #projectsweaterchest that bring to mind spiced pumpkin lattes, apple pies and trick-or-treating.

The outrageous autumn leaf-like colors of Noro Kureyon...the slightly scratchy reassuring feeling ofrustic wool against my skin...some of my very favorite wooden buttons...is it any wonder that I dream about my Spoked Cardigan in the dark cold days of winter? In fact, as soon as the fall weather arrives, this is the first sweater that I reach for.

This next sweater will always remind me of Halloween because the little guy used to call it my bat sweater everytime I wore it. I guess the gull-lace looks like little bats, especially in this darkish black/brown/blue colorway.

It's one of those annoying sweaters that is kind of hard to wear since one can easily be mistaken for wearing a baby garment. But I do enjoy looking at the many many FLS projects on Ravelry in order to get styling ideas. So far, I love seeing it worn over a pretty dress...definitely need more dresses in the wardrobe!

Do you have a favorite fall handknit? Or one that is difficult to style?

10.21.2014

It's all about color today on this second installment of #projectsweaterchest. The brighter the better...or is it? Usually when I think of sweaters that get worn a lot, I think of ones knitted in more neutral colors like grey or tan or grey or black or grey.

But surprisingly, this loud green cardigan is in heavy rotation year round. My favorite way to wear it is with one of the many grey or navy tops in my closet. It adds a much needed pop of color during the winter months, yet also feels just right during those early chilly days of Spring. The vibrant green also pairs well with purple or royal blue for an added burst of color and fun. I have always been tempted to knit another version in...you guessed it...grey. The pattern is Nanook by Heidi Kirrmaier, knitted in Quince & Co. Lark in the snap pea colorway. It's a good one.

Sadly, not all brightly colored sweaters get as much attention or admiration. I can count on 2 fingers the number of yellow items in my closet. The above sweater was a classic case of not thinking before casting on. Granted the yellow looked more like a vivid gold in the skein, but still, what on earth was I thinking to knit a retro looking sweater which would have been adorable in black or grey (like this example) but instead I chose to go with yellow resulting in a giant lemon of a sweater? The only thing preventing me from frogging this one is the fantasy that one day many many years from now, a little girl, possibly one of my great great granddaughters or grand nieces, will discover this sweater buried deep in the chest, exclaim with delight and use it for playing dress-up. So back in the sweater chest it will go.

10.10.2014

A few weeks ago I was browsing the internet when I came across this knitted beanie on the American Eagle website. It had a cool destroyed effect that was similar to a hat that I had admired on the Wool and the Gang website. Instead of shelling out the money to buy either, I decided to try to recreate my own version, 'cause homemade apple pies taste a lot better than store bought ones. Plus, I already had plenty of apples to make one ;)

destroy

I think it came out pretty good, considering that it's just a simple 1x1 ribbed slouchy beanie decorated with controlled dropped stitches. But as with any good cover, the fun part is putting your own stamp on it:

and mend

I have been kinda obsessed with visible mending, as you can tell by my newly created Pinterest board on the subject. There is a whole lot of excellent information out there on the subject. For this particular hat, I used a combination of swiss darning, weaving and simple embroidery to make something that looks like a feather or flower or leaf? Not quite sure, but I like it.